falling through stewing steak

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Tag Archives: nightmares

First recollection is stepping off the back of the dive boat, on the outer parts of the Great Barrier Reef. Hit the water and go to take the first breath, but the valve isn’t open. With no air in my vest, start to sink. Quickly. The water is crushing me. The boat is moored at the edge of the reef. The drop away is probably a 1000m. Start trying to get out of my vest, while kicking upwards, still falling…

and wake up struggling.

Oddly, i take this as a sign that the oceans are calling me, and it’s time to go diving… just don’t forget those safety checks!

With no warning i’m standing in a university exam room. The moderator is describing the exam procedures. The questions are lying on the desk in a black velvet folder, held shut with a silver clip. It occurs to me that i’ve not prepared for this exam and will not be able to answer any of the questions. It’s a pure mathematics exam, and i’m not studying mathematics. The moderator drones on, and a feel of dread builds, the only rule that makes it through to me is that it’s compulsory to stay for the first ten minutes. The exam starts. I open the velvet folder. There are three questions on the paper. None of them mean anything to me beyond a vague recognition of some terms. The ten minutes passes extremely slowly… and at some point i wake up sweating.